The highly anticipated “Lanterns” drops on HBO at an interesting time for the DC Universe. 2025’s “Superman” was a critical and commercial smash, a sign that maybe new head James Gunn was steering this ship in the right direction, but 2026’s “Supergirl” was a disaster, and audiences seem a bit skeptical that “Clayface” is what the franchise needs right now. Gunn is hard at work on 2027’s “Man of Tomorrow,” but the future of these films still feels a bit uncertain.
However, superhero fiction has taken a different shape on HBO with the well-liked “Peacemaker,” critical darling “The Penguin” (not technically part of Gunn’s purview, but associated in people’s minds), and now this weekend’s “Lanterns,” a project co-created by Damon Lindelof, who has proven he can shape this kind of material in a special way with the incredible “Watchmen.” The “Lost” and “The Leftovers” co-creator collaborates here with Chris Mundy and comic book writer Tom King to deliver the confident, engaging “Lanterns,” a show that, befitting its characters who can create something out of thin air, is never quite what you think it’s going to be.
Reportedly inspired by “True Detective” and “Slow Horses,” HBO’s “Lanterns” is a time-jumping mystery, a show that moves from 1996 to 2016 to 2026. The bulk of the first season takes place in that middle period, where we meet Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), the nation’s Green Lantern and possibly the next to hold that title, respectively. A former test pilot, Jordan was chosen by the Green Lantern Corps to be the interstellar peacekeeper that the Earth needs, but this vision of Hal isn’t your typical hero. Reportedly inspired by Sam Shepard’s work in “The Right Stuff,” Chandler gives Jordan the kind of deep cynicism that comes from being an underappreciated savior of the universe. We’ve seen this kind of character a lot recently as the cost of heroism has been refracted through shows like “Watchmen” and “The Boys,” but Chandler leans into his grounded screen presence well. Strangely enough, there are echoes of Eric Taylor from “Friday Night Lights” in this performance, as if Coach suddenly had to go from training young men to saving their lives: A blend of pride and exhaustion.
That pride is challenged by the very existence of a Green Lantern recruit by his side. In the premiere, Jordan puts Stewart through the motions, sending his car off the cliff so John will use the ring to save himself at the last second. He’s essentially hazing Stewart, but what becomes one of the most interesting throughlines of season one is what’s underneath that behavior: A concern that Stewart isn’t an alternate; he’s a replacement. This creates a rivalry between these two very different performers that gives “Lanterns” most of its juice through their arcs toward the title Green Lantern. Jordan was chosen, but Stewart had to fight his way to this opportunity, something that’s explored in the context of race in the show’s third episode. The story around Jordan is that he was chosen because he was fearless, a word that means something different to young Black men in this country. Some of the writing in this episode can be a bit leaden (a problem that hampers more chapters here than in the superior “Penguin” and “Watchmen”), but it does speak to the show’s ambition.
That’s also reflected in the arc of the season, which can’t be spoiled here, but doesn’t play out as anyone will expect. Main arcs that one would think would last till the finale wrap up, time periods get jumped, character goals shift—it’s not as ambitious as something like “Watchmen,” but it’s not your typical season-long storytelling either, which keeps “Lanterns” remarkably unpredictable.
What is “Lanterns” about beyond its conflicted dynamic duo? In the 2016 bulk of the series, it’s a mystery about a shooting in Rushville, Nebraska that Jordan becomes convinced involves interstellar visitors. Why are they there? What are they looking for in the heartland of America? It brings Jordan and Stewart into the world of a lawwoman named Kerry (the excellent Kelly Macdonald), who becomes the grounded, small-town law counterpart to the interstellar chaos. She’s also a love interest for Jordan, even if she’s married to the town’s prince, Billy Macon (Jason Ritter), son of cowboy magnate William Macon (Garret Dillahunt), who clearly knows a thing or two about what’s going on in Rushville. He speaks elusively of his benefactor, a being that’s pulling the strings. We also meet William’s wife Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), who’s a love interest for Stewart, and Ulrich Thomsen gets to snarl through a few appearances as the legendary Sinestro, while Nathan Fillion gets a few scenes that directly connect “Lanterns” to his turn as Guy Gardner in Gunn’s “Superman.”
The writing on “Lanterns” ties character to plot, keeping us engaged in why Stewart and Jordan make the choices they do as much as the impact they have on the mysteries that shape them. It helps to have a cast eager to embrace character more than superpower, as Chandler and Pierre have done the detailed work often lacking from CGI-heavy MCU and DCU experiences. In many ways, “Lanterns” is an old-fashioned buddy action comedy given the remarkably different registers of Chandler and Pierre. The writers allow Chandler to be abrasively instinctual, the kind of guy who shoots first and asks questions later, while Pierre leans into a vision of Stewart informed by discipline. Jordan acts, Stewart plans. And yet there’s also tension between the two given there can be only one true Lantern. Watching these two characters figure not only each other out, but those who are pulling their strings from across the universe drives a lot of season one.
Some of that drive can be over rocky terrain. Given the complexity of “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen,” it’s a bit surprising to see Lindelof over-explain a few of his show’s themes this time around, although that could be under Gunn’s guidance given his work, as much as I like it, often displays a distrust that a wide audience can meet the writing halfway. There’s a version of “Lanterns” that’s a bit more elusive and interpretable than this one, which could happen in season two after the groundwork is laid.
Having said that, as an introductory outing, “Lanterns” is a success, incredibly watchable even through its flaws, and nearly heroic in its hits.
Seven episodes screened for review. Premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 16.
